1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for rendering an icon corresponding to an individual function on a display screen, an electronic appliance capable of displaying an icon menu on a display screen and calling a function to be performed by selecting a corresponding icon, and a computer program.
This application claims the priority of the Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2003-030943 filed on Feb. 7, 2003 and 2003-043970 filed on Feb. 21, 2003, the entireties of which are incorporated by reference herein.
2. Description of the Related Art
The GUI (graphical user interface) using icons is used in various electronic appliances such as a personal computer (PC) and portable information devices including digital camera, digital video camera, PDA (personal digital (data) assistant), mobile phone, etc.
The GUI using icons is implemented in various forms. For example, there has been proposed an method in which a plurality of icons are disposed circularly on a display screen and a pointer for selection of an icon is moved clockwise or counterclockwise along the train of the icons to a desired icon by operating a rotating means such as a jog dial, to thereby call a function associated with the selected icon (as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-pen No. 2002-196867, FIG. 6, for example). Also, there is known a method in which a cursor for selection of an icon is immobilized while a train of icons is moved along a circular orbit to a desired icon by operating a jog dial, to thereby perform a function associated with the selected icon (as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-196867, FIGS. 10 and 11, for example).
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is schematically illustrated a conventional three-dimensional icon menu screen and movement of a train of icons in the icon menu. In this conventional icon display system, a plurality of icons A0 to A5 are laid on a circular orbit 50 set in a three-dimensional space to provide a perspective, well-visible display of icons and each of the icons A0 to A5 is moved along the circular orbit 50 under a command from the user, as will be known from FIG. 1. Also, in this icon display system, a user-selected number of user-selected types of icons can additionally be called and displayed on the circular orbit 50 on the screen, for example. At this time, all the icons A0 to An including the additional icons will automatically be laid equidistantly on the circuit orbit 50 in order to assure a visibility of all the icons.
However, as the number of icons for display on the screen increases, the adjacent ones of the icons A0 to An will overlap each other as shown in FIG. 2 with the result that the user will not be able to easily discriminate the icons A0 to An. Therefore, the number of icons which can be displayed on the screen is limited in practice.